The independent Councillor for Heath, Fenella Bowden, says the smoking ban on the University Hospital of Wales site is “pushing the problem elsewhere”.
Her comments come following the Welsh Government’s plan to introduce the Public Health Bill in the next year, which includes a ban on smoking in hospital grounds.
The bill will introduce a number of measures to promote public health, and will also restrict smoking in hospitals and school playgrounds.
The University Hospital of Wales has already introduced its own ban, but Councillor Bowden says it’s had a negative impact on the local area, particularly Heath Park.
She says staff and patients are now using the park to smoke, “pushing the problem into the local ward.”
“It isn’t fair on the residents of Cardiff to be paying for the waste management teams to be coming out and clearing all this mess.”
She says residents are already litter-picking in an attempt to clean up Heath Park. “It isn’t just cigarette packets but cans and even plastic hospital-issued gloves, which is unpleasant for residents.”
The University Hospital has so far been unavailable for comment.
